KUWAIT: Following the African Union Health Authority’s declaration of a state of emergency on Monday due to the outbreak of the new “Monkeypox” strain, informed sources from Kuwait’s Ministry of Health revealed that the ministry is closely monitoring global developments in this regard, including the meeting held on Tuesday by the World Health Organization meeting with member states to determine whether to declare a global emergency or to confine the matter to the African Union.

The sources indicated that officials from the Ministry of Health participated in the last meeting of the African Union, and they affirmed the Ministry of Health’s commitment to the warnings and recommendations of the World Health Organization. They said, “In the event of declaring a global emergency, the ministry will take the necessary measures while adhering to the restrictions imposed on the movement of ships and goods and other measures.”

The sources affirmed the Ministry of Health’s readiness to deal with any global and regional health emergency. They highlighted the availability of medicines, treatments and tests to detect any diseases or epidemics, but they confirmed that discussions about health preparations will be postponed until the World Health Organization announces its decision. It is worth noting that the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention declared a state of emergency yesterday in response to the outbreak of Monkeypox

By Marwa Al-Bahrawi Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff